Reply #26: I've never believed that Trump is serious about the birther issue.

[Old and In the Way]

But his popularity is forcing a lot of would-be candidates to have to publicly refute him on this....something that most candidates in that Party would prefer to avoid discussing (but let the base keep the issue alive). Trump is going to force them all to go on the record. If they all stand against Trump on this - they stand against a strongly held belief of the core morons that make up the base. If they side with Trump, they're not going to be taken seriously in the GE. Not that long ago, Trump was pretty liberal/progressive on most social issues. His 'campaign' is giving himself a lot of publicity that he'd never be able to get without the playing the birther card. He's now considered the #2 most popular Republican in the race....going Independent will assure another Obama term. Trump gets his publicity...the Republican Party gets squat.